New to the Master Educator Team this year, Kristen Nestler most recently comes to us from Fairfax County Public Schools, where she served as an Instructional Coach in a Title I, elementary school. There, as part of the leadership team, Ms. Nestler supported the advancement of the school’s instructional program, which resulted in an overall increase of student achievement scores by more than ten percent. During this time, certain key levers used included team collaboration, peer observations, data tracking students’ progress throughout the year, intervention plans, and parent engagement; based upon these successful experiences, these tactics have become integral in Ms. Nestler’s educational philosophy for improving of an instructional program.

Ten years prior, Ms. Nestler started her teaching career in New York, where she earned dual Masters’ degrees in both Elementary Education and Literacy. At the same time, she worked at a local charter school, serving inner-city, low-income students in both first and fifth grades as well as a public elementary school tutoring fourth and fifth graders in literacy. Following this, Ms. Nestler moved to Virginia, where she worked for a year in Newport News and then transferred to Fairfax County. Throughout her time there, Ms. Nestler worked in various capacities including a general education teacher, advanced academic resource specialist, and interventionist.

As a life-long learner at her core, Ms. Nestler recently completed her degree in Administration and Supervision. Currently, she is continuing on in her studies at the doctoral level, with a concentration in Educational Leadership, at George Mason University. While working to better understand organizational systems from a leadership perspective, Ms. Nestler continues to serve as an advocate for high- quality teaching for all students regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic status. In her new role as part of the Master Educator Team, Ms. Nestler believes that this can be accomplished through clear expectations, frequent communication, alignment of mission to goals and action steps, continuous professional development, and support from the surrounding community members and businesses. Ms. Nestler is looking forward to beginning her career in DCPS, and wishes everyone a great start to the upcoming school year.